After Aedion’s rescue, Chaol leaves his rooftop watch as soon as another rebel relieves him. Still furious at Aelin for attacking Dorian and insisting Dorian is lost, Chaol rejects the idea that killing Dorian would be mercy. Chaol believes giving up on Dorian would be the real weakness.

Unable to sit still, Chaol descends into the sewers to hunt Valg soldiers and possibly capture one alive, hoping to prove there might be another way to save the men possessed by demons. Chaol searches the usual nests, but every tunnel is empty. The largest nest has also been abandoned, and the Valg have taken their prisoners with them.

The discovery leaves Chaol numb. Chaol realizes Aelin’s public humiliation of the king may have caused the Valg to move and hide their captives, making the rebels’ secret war harder and endangering more innocents. Rather than return alone to his apartment, Chaol goes to Nesryn Faliq’s family home.

Nesryn brings Chaol inside and explains that guards questioned her father but left after he deflected them with pastries. Chaol tells Nesryn that the Valg have vanished from the tunnels. Nesryn remains calm and says they will find the Valg again tomorrow, giving Chaol steadiness instead of panic.

When Chaol argues that Aelin cannot be right about Dorian being gone, Nesryn challenges his despair. Nesryn says that Dorian represents hope for a better kingdom, especially for families like hers, but if Dorian is lost, they must find another path. Nesryn reveals she joined the city guard because no guards helped her when children attacked her for her heritage, and she insists responsibility for a better future belongs to ordinary people as well as kings.

Chaol refuses to abandon Dorian, but Nesryn urges Chaol to stop feeling sorry for himself, stay the course, and adapt. Chaol accepts that he can at least try. Their conversation ends with renewed resolve: they will return to the sewers the next morning and continue the fight.